Al-Qaeda's Zawahiri mocks US bill

[GaryC 7]

Tell me again how this "cut and run" mind-set of the liberals isn't emboldening the terrorists?

Al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has mocked a US congressional bill that sets out at timetable for US troops to leave Iraq.

He called the bill evidence of US failure and frustration and said it would "deprive us of the opportunity to destroy the American forces".

Egyptian-born Zawahiri made the comments in a 67-minute-long video message posted on Islamist websites.

US President George W Bush vetoed the congressional bill on Thursday.

"We ask Allah that they only get out after losing 200,000 to 300,000 killed, so that we give the blood spillers in Washington and Europe an unforgettable lesson," Zawahiri said in the video message.

He also scorned the US-led security surge in Iraq, urging Mr Bush to meet him in a cafeteria in the Iraqi parliament where a legislator died in a suicide bomb attack last month.

It is the fifth apparent audio or video message from Osama Bin Laden's number two this year.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6630421.stm

"We ask Allah that they only get out after losing 200,000 to 300,000 killed, so that we give the blood spillers in Washington and Europe an unforgettable lesson,"

Since we have only lost a little more than 3000 in about 5 years then I guess he wants us to stay another 100 years?

[Caladan 19]

Come on, think it through.

Are you saying you take his opinion that the U.S. should stay the course as an endorsement of Republican policy? Made in Washington, al-Qaeda approved? If Zawahiri said "I endorse Congress' plan", you'd take that as evidence that the U.S. was doing the right thing?

This guy has a base to appeal to like any other political leader. Bin Laden used to do the same thing: promise the American electorate that he wouldn't attack if they didn't vote for Bush, that sort of thing. Shouldn't have influenced your opinion then, shouldn't now. Terrorists don't get a vote.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Come on, think it through.

Are you saying you take his opinion that the U.S. should stay the course as an endorsement of Republican policy? Made in Washington, al-Qaeda approved? If Zawahiri said "I endorse Congress' plan", you'd take that as evidence that the U.S. was doing the right thing?

This guy has a base to appeal to like any other political leader. Bin Laden used to do the same thing: promise the American electorate that he wouldn't attack if they didn't vote for Bush, that sort of thing. Shouldn't have influenced your opinion then, shouldn't now. Terrorists don't get a vote.

- everything you just said

[GaryC 7]

Come on, think it through.

Are you saying you take his opinion that the U.S. should stay the course as an endorsement of Republican policy? Made in Washington, al-Qaeda approved? If Zawahiri said "I endorse Congress' plan", you'd take that as evidence that the U.S. was doing the right thing?

This guy has a base to appeal to like any other political leader. Bin Laden used to do the same thing: promise the American electorate that he wouldn't attack if they didn't vote for Bush, that sort of thing. Shouldn't have influenced your opinion then, shouldn't now. Terrorists don't get a vote.

I don't take his "opinion" as anything. I am pointing out that this terrorist is laughing at us because of the cowardly way our new congress is acting. They knew that if the liberals were elected this would happen. Now they know that all they have to do is keep up the pressure and we will leave with our tails between our legs. If the congress doesn't like the way the war is going I can accept that. They should propose a different stradegy then, but they are surrendering and Zawahiri sees that. This shows that setting a deadline lets the terrorists win.

[Caladan 19]

He would be laughing either way. This guy is pandering to his own base, and any action by the U.S. will be construed as a sign that the U.S. is [whatever negative adjective he wants.]

It's wrong to think it means anything; just like the fact that bin Laden wants Republicans in the White House to facilitate his dreams of a regional war don't really matter a damn.

I see no reason why U.S. policy should be held hostage to this guy's politics. So Zawahiri says he's laughing. #### him and the horse he rode in on.

[dalegg 143]

He called the bill evidence of US failure and frustration and said it would "deprive us of the opportunity to destroy the American forces".

Is "deprive" the word he was looking for?

urging Mr Bush to meet him in a cafeteria in the Iraqi parliament where a legislator died in a suicide bomb attack last month.

..or after school by the dumpster.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

If the recent debates over what to do in Iraq are any indication of the reality - then it seems clear that strategy of "any kind" has been sadly lacking.

The reason Zawahiri et al are celebrating the indecision in our political discourses is simply an indication that the strategies we have used to fight them were inadequate from the start. It should have been obvious (from Vietnam for one relevant historical example) that getting tied up in a protracted guerila war with would inevitably end in failure (in fact are there any relevant historical examples where this hasn't been the case? For all their military might and comparative brutality the Soviet army wasn't able to defeat the Mujahadeen in 10 years, let alone the 4 since we went into Iraq). The tax-paying public simply doesn't have the patience to sit by for years and years fighting a battle of attrition with no clear long-term goals, spiralling costs and weekly casualty reports.

Edited May 8, 2007 by erekose

[GaryC 7]

If the recent debates over what to do in Iraq are any indication of the reality - then it seems clear that strategy of "any kind" has been sadly lacking.

The reason Zawahiri et al are celebrating the indecision in our political discourses is simply an indication that the strategies we have used to fight them were inadequate from the start. It should have been obvious (from Vietnam for one relevant historical example) that getting tied up in a protracted guerila war with would inevitably end in failure (in fact are there any relevant historical examples where this hasn't been the case? For all their military might and comparative brutality the Soviet army wasn't able to defeat the Mujahadeen in 10 years, let alone the 4 since we went into Iraq). The tax-paying public simply doesn't have the patience to sit by for years and years fighting a battle of attrition with no clear long-term goals, spiralling costs and weekly casualty reports.

So you advocate tucking tail and running? If we had the will we could win this thing. But the liberals in congress don't have the guts to do whats right. They would rather play to their base and spend their time bashing Bush rather than working with him to come up with a better strategy. (cutting and running isn't a strategy, it's surrendering) Call Bush what you want but he isn't playing for political points, right or wrong he is doing what he feels is best to win this thing. If he had some cooperation we would see a different outcome.

[Caladan 19]

Dude, the Republicans had control of the Congress and the executive branch for six years and proved that all they could do was make illiterate speeches and ignore the advice of their generals when it came to planning wars.

If they couldn't get it done in the three + years they had, they sure as hell shouldn't blame Congress for making them clean up their crayons and go home. Iraqis don't want us there. We're hamstrung w.r.t. responding to Iran.

Having an exit strategy isn't cutting and running, it's what you're supposed to have in place before you launch a war.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

So you advocate tucking tail and running? If we had the will we could win this thing. But the liberals in congress don't have the guts to do whats right. They would rather play to their base and spend their time bashing Bush rather than working with him to come up with a better strategy. (cutting and running isn't a strategy, it's surrendering) Call Bush what you want but he isn't playing for political points, right or wrong he is doing what he feels is best to win this thing. If he had some cooperation we would see a different outcome.

Well if Bush had been willing to work with people when he started this thing - instead of paying lip-service to bi-partisanship he might be getting more cooperation now. I think we are now in a situation where there are truly very limited options over how best to proceed from this point - we either commit troops for the forseeable future (5, 10, 15, 20 years?) or take a step back and actually try to review and assess exactly what it is we are trying to achieve, whether it is indeed achievable, and how much it will cost.

Regardless of what Congress does - they are broadly reactive to public opinion - which started to turn against this war a long time ago, if indeed they were ever convinced to begin with... Committing troops to a war without end and no clear big picture goals is a bitter pill for many to swallow. It may not be the best decision to withdraw - but I can certainly see why people favour that option.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

So you advocate tucking tail and running? If we had the will we could win this thing.

We had the will for the last 4+ years. And what, exactly, have we accomplished during that time? Zippo. Nada. Nothing. Zilch. Zero. Scrap. You seem to advocate that we keep playing their game on a turf that they are far more familiar with than we will ever be. You advocate more hatred towards the US throughout the world, the manufacturing of more terrorists that we'll ever be able to eliminate unless we are prepared to nuke and take out the whole of MENA and Persia at the very least.

Newsflash: Stay the course ain't working. Hasn't for the last four years and won't for the next. The only reason we're still there is not because anyone seriously believes there's anything to be won militarily but because we have a stubborn son of a ####### sitting at 1600 Penn Ave who rather wastes another 3,000 servicemen and women or whatever it is going to take than to admit that he royally fcuked this whole thing up and start looking for real solutions to the mess he created.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I don't take his "opinion" as anything.

Yes you do. You even spread his worthless word here. I don't even pay attention to what this motherfcuker has to say. He's a non-person to me. He's nobody. Just ignore his sick azz.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Newsflash: Stay the course ain't working

Hard to stay a course when we don't know what that course actually is, or even what race we're running in....

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Newsflash: Stay the course ain't working

Hard to stay a course when we don't know what that course actually is, or even what race we're running in....

True. The strategery is rather along the lines: More of the same...

[cmartyn 0]

It’s the Monty Python Olympics for retarded people. Stay the course...

Why do they always say tuck tail and run or cut and run like its some sort of cowardly act. What bizarre caveman mentality is that anyhow?

Ohhhhhh the terrorists are laughing at us. Well yeah.. it is a bit of a joke. Most powerful nation on earth, trillions in debt and getting are asses whacked every day. Id be laughing too if it weren’t so sad.